tricky

Current work: Medical
Listening to: Peter Green (and if you’re in a romantic mood, here’s the YouTube link to ‘our song’ when I married DH – still my fave cover (and much prefer it to the original), though I do have a soft spot for the late Gary Moore’s cover)
Reading: next on TBR

Working in school holidays is tricky, to put it mildly. The kids get bored and squabble; and I feel guilty for leaving them to their own devices (aka iPod, X-box and TV) too much. I do try putting in some work first thing in the morning and then put my ‘nice mummy’ hat on (especially as I’ve promised jam sessions on the guitar to daughter, who has been trying out my guitar for size and I think prefers it to hers – methinks we’ll be going guitar-shopping in the summer hols).

Today, I am most definitely not working, because son is having his mates round for a Nerf war, some games on the X-box, a barbecue (ha – considering it ALWAYS rains when we plan a barbecue and his best friend comes round) and cake. One of his friends is allergic to wheat, dairy and nuts; I was going to order a ‘freefrom’ birthday cake, but it’s only free from wheat and nuts, not dairy, so it’s not suitable. Solution: daughter and I are having a baking session, adapting some of our recipes (the boys put in a very sweet request for cookies, and luckily you can buy dairy-free chocolate buttons) and also trying some new ones (for brownies and a chocolate birthday cake – although they’re the wheat-free Dove Farm recipes, we’re also switching butter to soya margarine and milk to soya milk so they work for what we need). We’ve learned that you need slightly more liquid when using gluten-free flour, and the texture isn’t quite the same, but I don’t think the boys mind too much. (Cake, cookies, chocolate – actually, no, teenage boys will just eat the entire contents of your fridge and larder, LOL.)

Quick reminder that the Make for Macmillan book auction is still on until Sunday. There are some cracking books in it – go and take a look! :o) (And I really want the ones I haven’t already read or are on my TBR pile…)